Hi there -
We are trying to get low cost ideas for my son's 2 year old party in September. We are already checking out Superfranks but would love any other low cost ideas. We wont have too many kids - maybe 6-8 total plus maybe 15-20 adults.
Any ideas would be greatly appreciated! Thanks
K.
Thank you everyone!! Great advice - and I really appreciate it. My husband and I decided to just have an "at home party" and really try to keep it to just his good friends and ours. I like the advice about # of kids = his age. I will keep that in mind!
We had a great party for my 3 year old at Sulphur Creek Nature Center in Hayward. Christine runs a fantastic program for the kids! You can pick 4 activities. Most people seem to pick 3 animals to interact with (out of 25) and then an art activity. But she will also take the kids on hikes and such.
http://www.haywardrec.org/birthday.html#sulphur
Good luck picking a place!
There is a great park here in my neighborhood called Val Vista Park. If its warm still, there is a great liitle water part for the kids to play in, a tiny tot play ground, a big play ground, a rock climbing wall, and a big area with lots of tables for parties. There is also a really big grassy area with a backstop for any games you might want to play. Im sorry, I didn't tell you, this is in Pleasanton.
The rule of thumb to keep children sane is to invite as many children as the birthday child's age. At 2 yrs old, big parties can be very overwhelming to little ones. Tears are not uncommon. A large crowd of people singing happy birthday at a high decibal can make a child quite upset. I experienced that even though my 2 yr old daughter was very jovial and social. Keep it simple.
A home party is perfect for this age- especially if there are other kids of the same age. Toddlers are constantly wandering off- so a park, as others suggested, could get very tiring for some moms as they are constantly chasing down their kids who are going after ducks, birds and what have you.
Bubbles are popular for these ages. Read a story book.(maybe something to go along with the theme of the cake).Have a little toddler pool. some toys. This age does not play together, they play next to eachother. Have a cake, some finger foods like chicken nuggets, halved grapes and strawberries,crackers, cheese stix, etc- open gifts, you're set! (or you can opt to open gifts after the party, just let eveyone know ahead of time what the plan is).
I would keep the focus geared toward the children instead of on the adults, as someone else suggested. If you want to have a party for the adults have a bbq on another day.
How about renting a table/s at a local park?
Hi,
For my kids we did parties at home til they turned 3 because IMO this age is just not really ready yet for a big busy party. Plus you have more adults than kids (which we did too) so you should cater a little more to the adults. Saying that, if you don't want to have a party at home you could maybe do a park. At our parties we did decorate your own cupcake, had a sand & water table out, playstructure. You could do a water activity if it's hot.
When mine turned 3 we have had the following bday parties : Little Gym ( Danville), My Gym(S Ramon), Springtime Tumbling (Livermore)& then Boomers (Livermore) The 1st 3 places work very well for younger ages, more organized so not overwhelming for them. IMO SuperFranks is for older ages like 6&up.
Have fun!
